They're creepy and they're kooky. Mysterious and spooky. They're all together ooky. The Addams Family. Sorry. I had to, you see. Here is yet another game I missed out on back in the day, but heard quite a few good things about. Released about half a year after the SNES launched in the US, players take on Gomez as he madly searches for his missing family members throughout the mansion's many nooks and cranniesIt may indeed be ooky, and kooky, but is it an SNES goodie?

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

No seriously. Gomez needs to know!

He's on the look out for his brother, Fester...

... as well as Grave Old Granny...

... plus little Wednesday (played in the movie by Christina Ricci)..

And of course, among others, your lovely (or not) wife, Morticia!

It's enough to drive Gomez bonkers! If not to an early grave! The poor sap

"Ayyyy... why did I have such a big family??"

Don't worry, at least you don't have to find Thing -- that severed hand... er... Thing...In fact, Thing even aids you throughout the quest by providing little tips and clues

WHERE THE ACTION LIES

The thing you'll notice with Addams Family right off the bat is that unlike many platform games on the SNES, this one is non-linear. Players have the choice of picking their battles by choosing whichever door they want, at any time. The only door that you can't advance through is the Music Room. That's where Morticia lies and she must be rescued last. Other than that, it's your choice

Behind each door and world awaits a boss. Defeating it either grants you an extra heart, or releases a family member. Good luck!Ah, choices choices... where shall we start?

THE GAME

You begin the game outside the Addams' residence. You are free to enter inside or patrol these ghastly grounds

If nothing else, it deserves credit for that

Indeed, another hop 'n bop on your SNES. Not that that's a bad thing ya see, especially when you enjoy a good old traditional 2D platformer like I do

If you like 2D platformers, the SNES is quite the haven for you

Power-ups are scattered about, such as the Fezi-copter

It's a rather difficult game, but thankfully, you're given plenty of 1UPs

My, what a big chimney you have, Gomez! Santa must love it

To say Addams Family has some, ahem, striking similarities to Super Mario World would be quite an understatement

Ah, that helpful Thing. Pay close attention to the clues...

Definitely part of the fun is finding all the secret hidden rooms

Yes, too bad about the controls, then. But more on that later

Hey, that's just like the flower power attack in the Mario games...

No shame on the part of Ocean. Oh well, at least it's fun

I prefer the sword over the golf ball. What it lacks in range the sword makes up for in consistency. With the golf ball sometimes it doesn't come out as fast as I would like it to, but the sword always delivers and never misses its beat

Power ups also allow you to take an extra hit without losing a heart

Again, although you can tackle the game in any order, you really ought to clear this one first

You looking real classy and stylish there, Gomes

Did you know: this is censored. In other versions the bird will actually try to poop on ya

Grab the golf ball or sword before battling him to make quick work

It's a HEART BONANZA, but you only get one. Heart-teaser!

"Man, this game is just TOODAMN HARD!"

Ocean was well aware of this fact, apparently

KA-CHING!

NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT RIGHT THERE

One of the most generous early game 'secrets' ever in gaming history

Y'kno a game's tough when they give ya 30 1UPs from jump street

No one's ever accused G of being the sharpest knife in the drawer

At the end of this hellhole lies an extra heart.To make sure you don'tget it, this world is filledwith mad-crazy jumpsthat require the utmostprecision and skill (orluck). And should youmanage to make it allthe way to the end, theCentipedes await yourarrival with bated breath

Trust me, you won't hold onto that sword for very long...

I really do

Hate spiders, that is

I mentioned how the old film Arachnophobia scarred me as a kid with spiders, right?

[Yes, in the past -Ed.]

K, just checkin'

[Checkmate -Ed.]

Don't like the title of this scene, Money SPIDER. What lies ahead!

Sure, this part is, before the later sections get absolutely terrorizing!

Those fire-sprouting plant guys remind you of something? Hmm

I wonder if anyone's ever got a crazy score like 64,000 in one hop

Maybe heading off to the Conservatory so quickly wasn't the best idea, heh. So, let's try the Kitchen. This room is appropriately titled Penguin Problems

And Jim Carrey thought HE had a major penguin problem!

The controls are a bit slippery slidey on their own. Combine that with ice... well, y'kno the rest

Not exactly Super Mario World, is it? [Touché -Gomez]

This secret room can only be accessed by sliding through. Game definitely encourages you to goof around; you never know where you might unlock a hidden room full of goodies

Those silly, crazy architects...

Now this is more like it!

Always be on the look out for hidden rooms, there's a lot of 'em

The boss of this stageis the cleverly named Snowman. He's hard at first, but quite easy after several tries. You can bounce off the snowballs so keep that in mind

Defeating the Snowman will earn you an extra heart

Now we enter the Portrait Gallery, where Uncle Fester is held captive by the evil witch

Standard platforming 101 clichés abound

Don't you DARE think it! No turning back now [Just watch me -G]

Bad puns make the world go round [Can't say I'm HOOKED -Ed.]

Those knights are tough, tossing their swords around like handy dandy boomerangs

This flying bit is nasty. First off you got to rush since the power up lasts only about 15 seconds, and second, you must contend with some evil tight spaces. There's very little room for error here

Better stock up on those extra lives, you'll need every last one

WOOT!

Nuthin' beats the warm sight of an exit after a particularly hard bit

A worm. On a book. A bookworm. Oh ho-ho, I crack myself up, ahem

Indeed it is. The train rumbles along as deadly floating spikes force you to either duck, JUMP or plain out pray like a priest

"Man am I glad I went on that double bacon cheeseburger fast..."

Clearing it definitelyputs a well earnedsmile on your face!

"Yeah, I'm bad, YOU KNOW IT!"

Unique boss fight in that you must team up with your brother to attack the evil witch. Pretty cool stuff

Looks like a reject from Wizard of Oz....

After rescuing Fester, the old bloke urges you to go rescue your wife. Geez, thanks, didn't think of that

The password definitely helps, though!

It is only after rescuing all family members can you at long last go to unlock Morticia. Other than that, the game allows you to pick whichever path you wish. Find the best one!

Big Lurch loves playin' tunes. Couldn't he bust the wall instead?!

The Games Room will ultimately lead you to Pugsley, the fat little lad

Not exactly the kind of "GAMES" I had in mind!

You know what Gomes? At this point can't say I blame ya at all...

PASSWORD GOOF-UP, OOF!

Bloody heck!

CONTROL THAT TEMPER OF YOURS...

Y'know, I've played some hard games, and I don't mind a challenge, but Addams Family is quite difficult. The control could use some work; it's a bit too loose for my taste. Gomez just slips and slides a bit TOO much, leading to cheap hits often and early deaths. It kind of puts a damper on things, especially when you think about the flawless control in a game like Super Mario World. Some sections in Addams Family require jumping at the very last second. Otherwise, you bump the platform above you and may even fall into a pit. Now thankfully falling into a pit doesn't equal automatic death, just one energy bar knocked off. They had mercy there, but these jumps are just flat out annoying. Progress in this game is definitely workman-like, and if you fancy that or don't mind it, you'll probably like it more than most people. Be prepared, however, for controller chucking fits of RAGE, especially with only a measly maximum of five hearts. Be glad the game grants you infinite continues and many 1UPs are scattered about. If you really need help, here's a Game Genie code for invincibility: 3CA7-A467 and infinite lives: DDA1-A4A7. Don't say I never did anything for ya. There's also some passwords out there that can really aid in Gomez's quest

How hard is Addams Family? Pretty damn tough. It's interesting to contrast this to the last game I reviewed, Hook. Hook is short and easy. Addams Family is long and hard. Pan moves too slow. Gomez moves too fast. Let me give you an example. Imagine this: You're at the edge of a long jump. In-between the platforms is a spiked pit. Bats are flying at ya, and the jump is too wide to make on your own. You're suppose to perfectly time jumping on a bat, or a bullet, to snap off a big jump off the momentum of stomping the bat or bullet. Throw in the fact that sometimes you'll have manic rotating spiked balls in the vicinity and you have a decent idea of what a typical scene from Addams Family might look like. It wouldn't be as hard if the controls were silky smooth like that of Super Mario World, but it ain't

On the bright side, the music is really quite good!

BEWARE THE TERROR TRAIN RIDE OF DEATH MUAHAHAHA

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID

EGM gave it ratings of 5, 6, 7 and 7. Super Play scored it 82%

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Having read quite a few praises on this early gen SNES game I was rather excited booting it up. I was expecting a very competent, well balanced platforming adventure. In the end, I liked it, and I didn't. The control is something you must contend with, almost as much as you do with the dozens and dozens of baddies themselves. I don't mind a difficult game where I make progress, but I shouldn't have to wrestle with the controls as much as I do here. Some don't mind it, and as a result they really like Addams Family. For me however, for all the cool little neat moments in the game, the sloppy controls quickly remind me that this is often an exercise of frustration as much as it is fun. It's definitely better than your average Mario clone, but man how much better it could have been!Plenty decent but should have been much better. Case dismissed

Yet as much as I bash the controls, part of me also enjoys the REST of the game. It's a long adventure and extremely satisfying whenever you knock off the latest boss and earn an extra heart or rescue one more family member. Some pretty memorable moments are scattered throughout the game, such as the terror train ride of death. The last world sports the best graphics in the game. Boss battles are fairly interesting and decently varied. The final boss is a bit of a joke, but getting to him is certainly no laughing matter. This is one of those funky games that part of me curses, yet the other part can't help but keep replaying. Thankfully passwords are available along with many lives. One can certainly work through the controls with a bit of practice and persistence. There is definitely a pretty decent game here, but I'd only recommend it to the patient and enduring warriors. There's nothing special to shout about, but lengthy levels, taxing difficulty, freedom to roam around, some interesting bosses and secrets galore -- if this is your thing then you'll probably enjoy Addams Family. It should be better than what it is, but, oh well. That's the beauty of the SNES, though. I mean, we'll always have Super Mario World, eh? ^_^